Press release

Germany overwhelm Algeria in Okayama

Germany captured their fifth victory at the FIVB World Cup after beating Algeria in straight sets on Friday at Okayama's Momotaro Arena

Okayama, Japan, November 11, 2011 – Germany cruised past Algeria 3-0 (25-10, 25-8, 25-19) on the first day of third-round action in the FIVB World Cup at Momotaro Arena in Okayama on Friday.

Germany’s Anne Matthes picked up the Most Impressive Player award after top-scoring for Germany with 17 points. Regina Burchardt scored 14 and Christiane Furst 12, which included seven blocks. Algeria’s top scorer was Faiza Tsabet with five points. Germany outblocked Algeria 11-4. Germany are now 5-1 while Algeria dropped to 0-6.

Both teams started slowly. Germany took a slight lead at 6-3, but Lydia Oulmou and Safia Boukhima kept Algeria in touch and helped their team draw to within a point at 7-6. But after the first technical timeout, Germany’s Margareta Kozuch and Anne Matthes turned up the heat with some big hits and Germany were eight points ahead at the second TTO. Algeria weren’t helped by poor reception, which allowed Germany’s many big hitters scope to show what they can do. The little-used Matthes and Regine Burchardt both sent down rockets as the Algerians wilted in the closing stages, picking up just three of the final 16 points. Germany’s final two points of the set both came on Algerian errors: a long shot by Yasmine Oudni and a netted serve by Tassadit Aissou.

Algeria looked thoroughly dispirited after dropping the first five points of the second set and coach Ahmed Boukacem called his players off for a pep talk. Algeria picked up the next point, but Germany were coasting again at 8-1 after Faiza Tsabet and Salima Hammouche made reception errors. Germany coach Giovanni Guidetti opted to use Mareen Apitz in place of regular setter Kathleen Weiss and she proved a more-than-able deputy in setting up her teammates. Boukacem called another timeout as his team dropped to 1-11. Algeria’s second point came with a neat line drive by Fatima Zahra Oukazi that made the score 15-2 and they managed to pick up a few more, including a great block by Fatima Zahra Oukazi on Saskia Hippe. But the German attacks just kept coming. Matthes scored her 13th point of the match to bring up set point and Hippe put her team 2-0 up with an easy first-time hit.

Four errors in the first phase of the third set didn’t help Algeria and Germany were five points ahead at the second TTO. Hippe, Matthes and Burchardt kept the missiles firing, but at 12-7, the Germans made three successive receiving errors on the serving of Oukazi that allowed Algeria to close to within two points at 12-10. At 14-11, Aicha Mezemate made a great block on Maren Brinker and Tsabet followed up with a rare Algerian kill to close the gap to just one point, but two more points by Burchardt saw Germany three points clear at the second TTO. From there, it was just a matter of time. Hippe brought up match point with a good hit and Matthes powered another through the Algerian defence to end Algeria’s misery.